Farming and public goods production in Caenorhabditis elegans populations.

ABSTRACT: The ecological and evolutionary dynamics of populations are shaped by the strategies they use to produce and use resources. However, our understanding of the interplay between the genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors driving these strategies is limited. Here, we report on a Caenorhabditis elegans-Escherichia coli (worm-bacteria) experimental system in which the worm-foraging behavior leads to a redistribution of the bacterial food source, resulting in a growth advantage for both organisms, similar to that achieved via farming. We show experimentally and theoretically that the increased resource growth represents a public good that can benefit all other consumers, regardless of whether or not they are producers. Mutant worms that cannot farm bacteria benefit from far

SUBMITTER: Thutupalli S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5338499 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature